Circular No. 15/2016/TT-BNNPTNT guides the conditions and criteria for benefiting from investment support to develop infrastructure for agricultural cooperatives.

CIRCULAR

GUIDELINES ON CONDITIONS AND CRITERIA FOR RECEIVING INVESTMENT SUPPORT TO DEVELOP INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES

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Decree No. 199/2013/2025/NĐ-CP dated November 26, 20253 of the Government stipulates the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Pursuant to Decree No. 193/2013/NĐ-CP dated November 21, 2013 of the Government detailing some provisions of the Law on Cooperatives;2261/QĐ-TTg dated December 15, 2014 of the Prime Minister approving the Program to support cooperative development for the period 2015-2020;

Pursuant to Decision No. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular guiding conditions and criteria for receiving investment support to develop infrastructure for agricultural cooperatives,

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Cooperative Economic and Rural Development;

This Circular guides conditions and criteria for receiving investment support to develop infrastructure for cooperatives and associations of cooperatives operating in crop cultivation, animal husbandry, forestry, fisheries, salt production, and irrigation (hereinafter referred to collectively as agricultural cooperatives). This Circular applies to agricultural cooperatives supplying products and services to members engaged in agricultural production and related agencies, organizations, and individuals concerning the receipt of investment support to develop infrastructure.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

Article 3. List of types of infrastructure of agricultural cooperatives eligible for support

Article 2. Applicability

1. Office premises;

2. Drying yards, warehouses, stores for agricultural supplies;

3. Processing workshops:

a) Processing, preservation, and manufacturing workshops for agricultural products;

b) Centralized livestock slaughterhouses.

4. Electrical and water supply facilities, markets:

a) Low-voltage electrical systems serving production, processing, and manufacturing in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and salt production;

b) Water supply facilities including the main source and pipeline networks for various areas within the locality;

c) Wholesale markets, agricultural product auctions.

5. Irrigation and internal road construction projects in crop cultivation, forestry, and salt production including:

a) Culverts, pumping stations, wells, water pipelines, dams, canals, reservoirs, structures on canals and embankments, primary water supply systems for efficient irrigation;

b) Main internal roads, firebreak roads, forestry roads.

6. Infrastructure construction projects in aquaculture and mariculture zones including: primary water supply and drainage systems (ponds, reservoirs, culverts, canals, water supply and drainage pipelines, pumping stations); levees, revetments, internal roads, common wastewater treatment facilities for aquaculture zones; buoy systems, boundary light systems, anchoring systems for floating cages; upgrading and developing centralized marine fish farming cages of agricultural cooperatives.

Clause 4. Conditions for consideration of support

a) Agricultural cooperatives established, organized, and operated in accordance with the Law on Cooperatives No. 23/2012/QH13;

Article 4. b) Investment projects to develop infrastructure of agricultural cooperatives must ensure:Infrastructure projects proposed for support are appropriate to the operational needs of production, business, and service activities of agricultural cooperatives;

1. General conditions

Consistency with relevant plans;

An exploitation, maintenance, and repair plan and a production and business operation plan for the requested infrastructure project;

Matching capital contribution according to the approved project but at least 20% of the total investment cost.

2. Priority conditions

Agricultural cooperatives are considered for investment support to build infrastructure in the following priority order:

a) Having contracts for the sale of agricultural products with enterprises worth at least 3 billion VND annually;

b) Organizing member production according to good agricultural practices or obtaining certificates of food safety compliance; applying advanced science and technology or using efficient irrigation systems;

c) Operating in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions as defined by current laws.

a) Have a linkage contract for agricultural product consumption with enterprises with a minimum value of 300 million VND per year;

b) Organize for members to produce according to good agricultural practices or obtain certificates of food safety conditions; apply advanced science and technology or use water-saving irrigation systems;

The agricultural cooperative operates in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions, particularly extremely difficult socio-economic conditions, as provided by current laws.

Article 5. Criteria for Support

1. Support for cooperative office premises

a) Not having office premises and not yet receiving state funding to rent or construct office premises;

b) In the three years prior to the time of requesting support, the agricultural cooperative must have achieved at least one year with a minimum annual turnover of 1.0 billion VND.

2. Support for drying yards, storage facilities, agricultural supply stores

In the three years prior to the time of requesting support, the agricultural cooperative must have achieved at least one year with a minimum annual turnover of 1.0 billion VND.

3. Support for processing workshops

a) In the three years prior to the time of requesting support, the agricultural cooperative must have achieved at least one year with a minimum annual turnover of 1.0 billion VND.

b) Specifically, for centralized livestock slaughterhouses, they must also ensure:

The daily capacity of the centralized livestock slaughterhouse proposed for support by the cooperative must reach a minimum of 400 livestock or 4,000 poultry or 200 livestock and 2,000 poultry;

Ensuring disease prevention, veterinary hygiene, food safety, and environmental protection according to current laws.

4. Support for electrical works, potable water systems, wholesale markets, agricultural product auctions

a) Electrical works: Not yet received state funding for new construction or upgrading from the state budget;

b) Potable water systems: The potable water supply system must serve a minimum of 100 households;

c) Wholesale markets, agricultural product auctions:

Agricultural cooperatives eligible for support for new construction, renovation, repair, or upgrade of wholesale agricultural markets must comply with the provisions of Article 4 of Circular No. 24/2014/TT-BNNPTNT dated August 19, 2014, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on conditions ensuring food safety for wholesale markets and agricultural product auctions.

5. Support for irrigation works, internal farm roads in crop cultivation, forestry, and salt production sectors

a) Internal farm irrigation works: The area of land for production that the agricultural cooperative is responsible for supplying water, irrigation, or drainage must be at least 50 hectares; specifically, for primary water supply works serving efficient irrigation, it must be 10 hectares.

b) Main internal farm road construction works: The production area where main internal farm roads are constructed or upgraded must be at least 50 hectares; specifically, for forestry internal area roads, it must be at least 100 hectares.

6. Support for infrastructure in aquaculture and marine farming areas:

a) Minimum area of farming zone is 5 hectares;

b) Ensuring environmental protection requirements according to current laws.

Article 6. Implementation Organizationc hiệFor power plants invested under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, n is determined according to the operational period of the power plant stipulated in the BOT contract.

1. Provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government, based on Decision No. 2261/QĐ-TTg dated December 15, 2014 of the Prime Minister and this Circular, shall be responsible for guiding relevant departments to implement at the local level.

2. Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assist Provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government in organizing the implementation of this Circular.

3. Procedures and application forms for requesting investment development infrastructure support for agricultural cooperatives shall be carried out according to the general procedures and formalities guided by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance.

Article 7. Effectiveenforcement and responsibilitydate ADJUSTMENT

1. This Circular takes effect from July 25, 2016.

2. During implementation, any difficulties should be promptly reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for study, amendment, and supplementation./.